jobfacts

Taxi driver

Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs — SOC 2020 8213

Taxi and cab drivers and chauffeurs drive motor cars for private individuals, government departments and industrial and commercial organisations, drive taxis for public hire, drive new cars to delivery points and drive motorcycles and other motor vehicles.

Also calledCab driverPrivate hire driverMinicab driverChauffeurCarriage driverHandyman-driverand 26 more titles
Typical full-time pay£26,8002025 Provisional
People in the job174,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month563↑ 6.9%on last year · 253rd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time taxi drivers earn, 2025
£26,800 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£26,800
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
More than half (89%) of taxi drivers work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed taxi drivers earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £26,800
London!£27,400
Scotland!£25,500
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £26,800
London£27,400 (small sample)
Scotland£25,500 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £25,200
  • 2024 £26,600
  • 2025 Provisional£26,800
↑ 6.4% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 563 jobs for taxi drivers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026621
Jul 2026559
Jun 2026546
May 2026532
Apr 2026852
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026448
Jan 2026739
Dec 2025177
Nov 2025575
Oct 2025467
Sept 2025677
Aug 2025568
Jul 2025604
Jun 2025594
May 2025874
Apr 2025660
Mar 2025642
Feb 2025559
Jan 2025337
Dec 2024156
Nov 2024484
Oct 2024503
Sept 2024453
Aug 2024566
Jul 2024696
Jun 2024729
May 2024836
Apr 2024498
Mar 2024597
Feb 2024289
Jan 2024306
Dec 2023166
Nov 2023404
Oct 2023421
Sept 2023284
Aug 2023499
Jul 2023399
Jun 2023593
May 2023491
Apr 2023377
Mar 20233,094
Feb 2023511
Jan 2023529
Dec 2022403
Nov 2022425
Oct 2022439
Sept 2022468
Aug 2022524
Jul 2022587
Jun 2022581
May 2022677
Apr 2022467
Mar 2022614
Feb 2022464
Jan 2022435
Dec 2021317
Nov 2021549
Oct 2021656
Sept 2021411
Aug 2021477
Jul 2021634
Jun 2021699
May 2021722
Apr 2021725
Mar 2021976
Feb 2021377
Jan 2021354
Dec 2020289
Nov 2020375
Oct 2020597
Sept 2020595
Aug 2020660
Jul 2020602
Jun 2020399
May 2020241
Apr 2020361
Mar 2020579
Feb 2020647
Jan 2020490
Dec 2019383
Nov 2019423
Oct 2019505
Sept 2019602
Aug 2019570
Jul 2019657
Jun 2019625
May 2019882
Apr 2019470
Mar 2019596
Feb 2019510
Jan 2019556
Dec 2018313
Nov 2018391
Oct 2018513
Sept 2018421
Aug 2018497
Jul 2018535
Jun 2018671
May 2018618
Apr 2018871
Mar 2018803
Feb 20181,006
Jan 2018983
Dec 2017904
Nov 2017776
Oct 2017539
Sept 2017845
Aug 2017882
Jul 20173,218
Jun 20171,179
May 2017905
Apr 2017802
Mar 2017865
Feb 2017611
Jan 2017592
Is there a shortage of taxi drivers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, online job advert density, visa density, hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
25%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for road transport drivers, which includes taxi drivers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London197
Buckinghamshire31
Central Bedfordshire26
Somerset25
Manchester22
Birmingham22
East Hertfordshire20
Cornwall19
Windsor and Maidenhead18
Milton Keynes18
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where taxi drivers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of taxi drivers
n/p
8.4%!
22%
36%
23%
10%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–348.4% (small sample)
35–4422%
45–5436%
55–6423%
65+10% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent21%
Higher education below degree!3.3%
A levels or equivalent18%
GCSEs or equivalent20%
Other qualifications20%
No qualifications16%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent21%
Higher education below degree3.3% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent18%
GCSEs or equivalent20%
Other qualifications20%
No qualifications16%

Main employers: taxi operation (88%), urban and suburban passenger land transport (2.5%), other passenger land transport nec (2%), passenger air transport (0.5%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
21%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work
Self-employed
89%
of people in the job

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You may be able to do a college course, which could help you when looking for work. You could also do a course if you're an existing driver and want a certificate to demonstrate your competence.

Courses include:

  • road passenger vehicle driving - taxi and private hire
  • introduction to the role of the professional taxi and private hire driver
Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements for this route.

Apply directly

You can apply directly to become a taxi driver if you've got a taxi driver's licence. This is a common way into this job.

You'll need to meet the registration and licensing requirements of the taxi company you'll be working for and the local authority area where you'll operate.

You'll usually need your own vehicle, though some companies may give you the option to rent one from their fleet.

What you’ll need

  • complete a driving skills assessment
  • have a full UK or EU driving licence, held for at least 12 months, or 3 years if working in London
  • pass enhanced background checks
  • pass a medical check
  • be over 18 but over 21 in some areas, including London
  • pass a local geography test, known as 'The Knowledge' if working in London
  • if you work in London, you'll need to meet the English language requirement

If you're a private hire driver, you'll need hire and reward insurance. You may also need to take out public liability and vehicle insurance.

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you'll need a taxi driver's licence issued by your local council's licensing unit, or by Transport for London (TfL), if you want to work in London.
Career tips

A combination of factors can affect earnings, such as:

  • time worked - amount of hours driven and shift times
  • location - more demand in bigger cities
  • length and type of job - longer distance trips and high value fares
  • competition - amount of taxis in a local area
  • contract type - employed by a company or self-employed
Further information

You can get more details about working as a taxi driver from the National Private Hire Association.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for taxi driver. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • checks tyres, brakes, lights, oil, water and fuel levels and general condition of vehicle before start of journey
  • drives passenger-carrying motor cars, taxis and other motor cars and motorcycles, complying with road and traffic regulations
  • collects passengers when hailed or in response to telephone/radio message and helps them to secure their luggage
  • conveys passenger to destination and helps unload luggage
  • cleans, services and maintains vehicle or motorcycle

Skills

  • maintain vehicle appearance
  • drive vehicles
  • follow verbal instructions
  • interpret traffic signals
  • lift heavy weights
  • communicate with customers
  • drive in urban areas
  • ensure vehicle operability
  • operate GPS systems
  • control the performance of the vehicle
  • handle delivered packages
  • maintain personal hygiene standards
  • park vehicles
  • read maps

Knowledge

  • road traffic laws
  • effective perception of transport environment
  • mechanical components of vehicles
  • geographic areas
  • health and safety measures in transportation
  • local geography

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for transport and mobile machine drivers and operatives, a group of 14 jobs that includes taxi drivers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 6.7%about 80,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035748,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.